Digital Enhanced (formerly European) Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) telephones have been used in Australia for about three years now, mainly operating in the 2.4 GHz frequency band. Due to their improved performance, compared to the old analogue cordless phones, DECT phones are rapidly replacing wired phones as a means to provide a basic home
telephone. This new growth area is very important to DECT / cell phone manufacturers. Cell phone saturation in the developed countries is now so high that consumer purchasing of new cell phones is decreasing and driving market growth down for an industry that depends on ever- increasing market growth. (1) According to the DECT Forum, an international DECT industry association, that growth is now in DECT technology which must be maintained by “permanent innovation”(2) – meaning an endless product development of new DECT devices for the consumer.

There is now a progression from 2.4 GHz to 5.8 GHz DECT technology because of the increasing use of 2.4 GHz ‘wireless local area networks’ (WLAN) in homes and offices. This is causing increasing interference or ‘congestion’ in the 2.4 GHz band thus necessitating a move to a higher frequency. (3)